1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure generally relates to manipulating video content and more specifically to stabilizing camera motion in video content.
2. Description of the Related Art
The sharing of video content on websites has developed into a worldwide phenomenon, supported by numerous websites. Many thousands of videos are posted every day, and this number is increasing as the tools and opportunities for capturing video become easier to use and more widespread. Millions of people watch the posted videos.
There is often a need to process the posted videos to improve image and audio quality. This processing can involve correcting videos to reduce shaking visible in the video due to undesired motion of the physical camera used to capture the video. For example, with the growth of mobile phone cameras, there has been a significant increase in the uploading and sharing of videos by casual users capturing their daily experiences with their mobile devices. A significant portion of these videos are prone to shaking, as it is difficult to keep hand-held cameras stable, especially when capturing a moving subject or if moving while recording.
While many modern cameras are generally equipped with image stabilizers for still images, the stabilization afforded by them is usually insufficient in the presence of heavy camera-shake or low-frequency motion, such as the shaking induced when the user is walking or running during capture. The amount of casual videos with significant shake is only predicted to increase with the growth of wearable and first-person-view cameras, especially popular for sports and other activities. Most casual users may not have access to, or the inclination to use professional stabilization equipment (e.g., tripods, dollies, steady-cam). Furthermore, legacy videos shot from older cameras or digitized from film could also benefit from stabilization.
Additionally, most casual users also do not have access to professional stabilization software. Further, although such professional stabilization software exists generally, these software programs correct video with varying degrees of quality. Additionally, many of these software programs cannot function without metadata available from the physical camera, or without input from the user regarding how the stabilization should be carried out.